Breakout
by TARDISBlueBox
Summary: The Doctor receives a mysterious summons from an old friend. Sequel to 'Kill Zone'.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**_ **This story is a sequel to my earlier story 'Kill Zone'. Read it here:** s/11513657/1/Kill-Zone

* * *

A hooded figure ran down an empty street, his footsteps ringing out as his boots slapped through a multitude of murky, muddy puddles. The man's breath was heavy and laboured, and he stopped a moment to check over his shoulder and catch his breath. When he was satisfied that he had lost his pursuers he reached down to his belt and removed a small, silver disc from a leather pouch. The disc was only a few centimetres in diameter, with a button set into the centre of the smooth metal. He pressed the button and raised the disc to his mouth.

"This is no use. I can't get in, the house is too heavily guarded. They've got Ogrons now, patrolling the perimeter fence. We need a new strategy."

There was a moment, fleeting but long enough for the hooded man's paranoia to make him check his surroundings again for anything chasing him.

"They know what I look like now, they'll send someone for us. We need to change safe houses again."

The disc chirruped.

"That's not good enough. They bombed the last one, thank god we got out in time. We're not secure, we need to move."

The disc beeped in annoyance.

"Stop it, and do as I say. Run the relocation program, let's say the clock tower. Start setting up the defences, and quickly, we haven't got much time."

The disc whirred for a few seconds before pinging.

"We need a new infiltration strategy now as well, I've just buggered the last one."

The disc vibrated in his hand. The man's face creased in annoyance.

"Don't be ridiculous, he'd never help us, not after the last time."

The disc ran out a string of numbers.

"I don't like those odds. Besides, we have no way to get a message to him. He probably wouldn't even respond."

The disc beeped sharply, and the man covered it with his hands in an effort to muffle the noise. He glanced around furtively, worried that his pursuers would have caught up with him by now. The street was still empty, and so the hooded man turned his attention back to the disc.

"What do you have in mind?"

The disc relayed the information into the man's neural implants. He mulled over the ideas and it was several minutes before he spoke again.

"It's a long shot. It probably wouldn't work."

The disc hummed softly.

"You're absolutely right, of course. We don't have a choice. Start looking - a TARDIS can't be that hard to track down. We'll have the Doctor here by morning."

* * *

The TARDIS was usually a quiet, peaceful environment, at least when there were no noisy humans running about the place and disrupting everything. The Doctor liked to talk aloud when he was theorising and he couldn't very well do that if he had to contend with any of the normal thrumming and wheezing of the engines. As such, the TARDIS kept the sound of its engines to a minimum in the console room, allowing only small gusts of sound into the control room and the surrounding corridors as a reminder that the ship was actually going somewhere. Of late, however, the Doctor was intent on shattering that carefully maintained peace and quiet, much to the TARDIS' chagrin.

The Doctor stood on the balcony, his guitar slung low. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sonic sunglasses. He tapped the bridge between the lenses and pushed them up on to his nose. A low warble started up, and the Doctor looked down at the console, where a few lights came on on the nearest panel. Then he lifted his plectrum, and strummed a chord.

The signal travelled from the guitar to the console. From there, the signal was sent to another new addition to the console room: the array of roundels built into the walls of the control room. At last he'd found a use for the things - concealed amplifiers. The chord rang out loud into the control room from all sides, disrupting the precisely controlled quiet. The Doctor strummed again, and smiled as the power chord played out again from the roundels.

The Doctor had spent so long on Earth and with humans; it seemed only natural that some of their music might have made a home in his head - this incarnation seemed to have a predilection for earworms. He began playing, properly now, rather than just single chords, a whole string of them, bound carefully and expertly into a symphony, simple notes bound into a complex melody. He didn't even know what the song's name was, he just knew it from Clara's phone - she was forever plugging it into the TARDIS' console.

A light was flashing on the console, just beside the telephone unit. The Doctor stopped playing and set the guitar on a stand by his armchair. This was no doubt the TARDIS registering it's protest at the, frankly rude, interruptions to her efforts to provide him with a peaceful environment in which he could conduct his studies into whichever notion took him at a given time. The Doctor pocketed the sonic glasses as he approached the console. He pushed the button beside the light and turned to the scanner, preparing himself for whatever scolding the TARDIS had prepared for him.

The message scrolling out on the screen was short and presumably to the point. The Doctor began reading, his eyebrows beginning to crease. This wasn't a reprimand from the TARDIS, this was something else. The message was a single line in length, a set of space-time coordinates and a smiley face on the end.

"It could be a trap," said the Doctor, as he looked up at the time rotor. The TARDIS beeped in response, a raised eyebrow of sorts, or as close as the TARDIS could muster without resorting to psychic messaging. She already knew he was going to follow the trail.

"I know, I know," the Doctor muttered as he made his way around the console to the dematerialisation lever. He gripped it tightly, before pulling back. The TARDIS engines struck up their wheezing, orchestral thrumming as the ship dove through the Time Vortex, dodging past all the wonders and horrors of the cosmos. The TARDIS landed and the noises ceased with a deep thud.

* * *

The TARDIS door opened and the Doctor leaned out into the cool night air. He took a step forward, his boot squelching down into some dirty, half-melted snow. He'd landed in a narrow lane, bounded on each side by tall, sad-looking houses. Oil lamps hung from the grey bricks, casting a dirty light down into the street. The lane was devoid of life save for the Doctor. The Doctor looked up to the sky, which was decidedly not that of Earth. A huge nebula spiralled across the sky, tentacles of purple, green and blue feeling their way around the heavens. It was a gorgeous sight, and not one that the Doctor recognised.

There was a splash to the Doctor's right, a little way down the lane. A cloaked figure stepped out of a shadowed alcove and into the street, having just stepped in one of the numerous puddles. The Doctor couldn't make out the stranger's face beneath the hood, but he could see part of a leather gun belt through a parting in the man's cloak, no doubt holstering a blaster somewhere beneath the folds of black cloth.

"You came," said the stranger. The man's voice was familiar to the Doctor, but he couldn't quite place it. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS fully, gently closing the door to his time machine behind him.

"You sent the message?" The Doctor asked. The stranger nodded, the tip of his hood dipping a little.

"Why?" The Doctor was tense, ready to jump back inside the TARDIS as fast as possible. The stranger approached and the Doctor tightened his grip on the TARDIS' door handle.

"I mean you no harm," the stranger reached up to his hood and curled his fingers around the edges of the black material. He swept his arms back, revealing a mop of blond hair and a young man's face.

"You?" The Doctor exclaimed, his eyebrows going up in shock. He stood away from the TARDIS, letting go of the door handle.

"Hello Doctor. It's been a long time," Neos said. The assassin had changed in the time since the Doctor had last seen him; he was thinner, and his face was harder, leaner, more drawn. He had lost his old flight jumpsuit and was now clad in a simple black tunic and battered combat trousers.

"I need your help," Neos asked, moving towards the Doctor with his hands held out in a pleading fashion.

"Excuse me?" Asked the Doctor. Neos' face was anxious and paranoid, his eyes flicking furtively between the Doctor and the street beyond the TARDIS.

"I need your help with something. You have to come with me," said Neos as he gestured down the street behind him.

"Why should I help you? The last time we met, you tried to kill me," the Doctor pointed out. Neos shook his head.

"Then I helped you, remember? Doctor, we have to go. We haven't got much time," he pleaded. "They could be here at any moment."

"Who's 'they'?" Asked the Doctor.

"Come with me, and I'll tell you," Neos responded. The Doctor hesitated, briefly thinking of just getting back into the TARDIS and leaving. Then he thought of Davros, and how much damage had been caused by his running away then.

"Fine. But you had better have a very good reason for this."

Neos nodded his thanks, and turned away as he pulled his hood up again. The Doctor followed, leaving the TARDIS behind in the lane.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Please leave a review, it helps so much to keep me writing. The character of Neos is owned by my brother. This was originally intended as a Christmas special for 2015, but I couldn't get the ending just as I wanted.**


	2. Chapter 2

Neos led the Doctor through the town cautiously, making sure each street was empty before they walked onto it. Even then, they stuck to the extreme sides of the roads, so that they could hide easily enough should they come across any company.

"The town's called Madria," Neos explained. "Once upon a very long time ago, it was a seat of nobility. But that was a long time ago, and now the cons and thieves use it to hide from whichever authorities are after them, or from bounty hunters."

"Bounty hunters? Like you?" the Doctor muttered. Neos grimaced.

"I don't do that sort of thing anymore, Doctor."

They walked on, eventually passing into a large open square which was filled with market stalls. Each and every one was open, even at this late hour. The Doctor cast his eyes over a few of the stalls, noting with a degree of concern the goods on display. Blaster pistols and rifles, long, hooked knives, Sontaran grenades, Slitheen claws, vials of Krillitane oil and Sycorax masks were just some of what was available to buy, should the buyer have the appropriate amount of credits.

The square was dominated by a large clock tower, and it was here that Neos led the Doctor. He heaved a formidable wooden door open, and quickly motioned the Doctor inside. He slammed the heavy door back into place and set about doing up the many locks and chains secured on the inside face of the door.

Neos led the Doctor up a tall flight of steps, which wound all the way to the top of the tower. Once at the top, they emerged into the main clock chamber.

"Very impressive," the Doctor ceded, taking in his surroundings. The chamber was dominated by the clock's workings, a conglomeration of gears, cogs, flywheels and shafts twisting their way around the edges of the room. Four huge clock faces acted as windows, affording a full panoramic view of Madria.

"Do you like it?" Neos asked as he slung his cloak onto a hook by the door. The Doctor had guessed right earlier, Neos was carrying a blaster. He removed the holster from his belt, hanging it up alongside the cloak before taking a seat in an old, distressed leather armchair in the corner of the room.

"I spent a long time living in a clock tower," the Doctor admitted.

"I find it hard to believe that you would spend any length of time in one place," Neos grinned. The Doctor shot him a disapproving look.

"I didn't really have a choice in the matter," he said, gazing through the window and into the distance.

"The Siege of Trenzalore," Neos said. The Doctor turned his head slightly to look at Neos.

"I did my research on you, after we parted ways. You didn't make it easy for me, deleting yourself from every database in the universe. You did a very good job," the young man smiled peaceably.

"I needed the peace and quiet. Too many salesmen coming knocking on my door," the Doctor said.

"How's that going?"

"As well as could be expected," the Doctor admitted. "Which isn't very well at all."

The clock ticked on, it's regular beat the only thing breaking the silence between the two men.

"Why am I here?" The Doctor asked at last, turning to stare through the clock face again. Neos stood up, and walked over to a desk. He opened a drawer and drew a metal orb from within.

"Catch," he called, tossing it through the air to the Doctor. The Doctor turned, and snatched the orb from the air. He looked down at the device, which was about the same size as an apple, with a glass lens and single button as the only features that interrupted the smooth metal casing. The Doctor pushed the button and a blue light shot out of the lens. It formed into an image, just at the Doctor's eye level. The face of a child looked back at the Doctor, a girl.

"Who is she?" The Doctor asked.

"Believe it or not, she's the Empress of Cidonia," Neos said.

"Cidonia?" The Doctor asked. Neos nodded.

"They're hardly in the big leagues, they're around sixteen times smaller than the Haddron Empire was," Neos explained. "But the name carries weight in this part of the galaxy all the same."

"And you're here to assassinate her?" The Doctor's voice was starting to rise. "You're going to kill a child?"

"Of course not. I've already told you, I don't do that sort of thing anymore. She was kidnapped two months ago, and the Cidonians don't have the military strength to get her back. They asked me to get her back," Neos protested. The Doctor regarded the former assassin suspiciously.

"I'm serious," Neos said, turning back to the drawer. He pulled a piece of paper out and presented it to the Doctor.

"See?" Neos pointed through the terms of his contract, before tapping two signatures at the bottom - his own, and that of the Arch-Chancellor of Cidonia.

"This isn't a contract to kill her, it's to get her back!"

The Doctor switched the hologram-orb off and slipped it into his coat pocket.

"Who was behind the kidnapping?" He asked, reading through the contract for himself.

"A bounty hunter by the name of Maximilia Del. She's tied to more than a hundred jobs, mostly assassinations. I'm not sure if she's working for someone or independently," answered Neos.

"Where are they keeping the Empress?" The Doctor asked.

Neos stood against the eastward clock face, searching something out in the panorama of Madria.

"Do you see there, on the edge of the town? The big house, by the forest?"

The Doctor stood at the window, running his eyes across the rooftops of Madria. Yes, there it was; a house larger than the others, and more brightly lit too. He could just make out a tall set of railings running around the perimeter of the property, and a huge set of gates in the centre.

"That's Governor Hamyl's home. He's as corrupt as they come and takes a hefty tithe from any ship that lands in Madria. He makes promises to the locals that he's going to run out the criminals, then turns around and does business with them," Neos said, walking away from the window.

"He's harbouring the kidnapper? And the Empress too? What's in it for him?" The Doctor asked.

"Del's put a ransom sum of sixty billion credits in exchange for the Empress to the Cidonian Senate. They have two days left to pay before he kills her. He's promised the governor a share," Neos explained.

"I've tried twice now to get in, failed both times. The first time, I got across the fence, managed to get right up to the window before I triggered the alarms. The second time, they'd deployed Ogrons around the perimeter."

"Ogrons?" The Doctor asked. "I haven't seen them in very long time."

"It complicates things," said Neos. "They're going to be nearly impossible to get past."

"Nearly," the Doctor nodded. His mind was already at work attempting to figure out a way to get inside the house.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Please leave a review, it helps so much to keep me writing. The character of Neos is owned by my brother.**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Neos woke early. He found the Doctor in the armchair, wide awake and showing no signs of having slept at all. The Time Lord's fingers were steepled and pressed against his mouth, and whilst his eyes were open, he was staring into space. He didn't react to Neos getting out of bed, even to bid him good morning, nor when the young man passed in front of him. The only sign that the Doctor had moved from his position all night was a single empty china cup, with the dregs of a cup of tea in the bottom. Neos wondered where the Doctor had procured it from, given that he kept nothing of the sort in the clock tower.

Neos made himself a light breakfast in the small kitchen beneath the clock chamber. When he returned, the Doctor had left the armchair and was on his knees, a piece of white chalk held between his fingers. He was stabbing away at the wooden planks, forming a complex diagram of the governor's mansion on the floor.

"How many Ogrons?" Asked the Doctor.

"Good morning to you too. Twenty, I think," replied Neos. The Doctor thought for a moment before dashing a series of 'x' markers around the diagram.

"There'll be a sentry at each of those markers," the Doctor said. "And two at the gate."

"That leaves three inside," Neos pointed out.

"Guarding the Empress," the Doctor nodded. He scribbled further lines and symbols onto the floor, before standing up to survey his creation.

"Lock on the gates?" The Doctor asked. Neos nodded.

"But it's basic. Nothing electronic."

"Good, we can go in through there," the Doctor knelt down and circled the gates on his drawing.

"Hang on, no we can't. There are two Ogrons on guard at the gate. They'll shoot us on site!" Neos protested. The Doctor waved an arm at him.

"They won't see us."

He made his way around the diagram, stroking his chin as he went.

"OK, they might not see us - but the cameras can pick up heat traces inside the grounds. How do we avoid that?" Neos asked. He took the Doctor's chalk and marked the camera locations on the map.

"Sonic sunglasses," the Doctor waved the device at Neos.

"Sunglasses? What happened to the screwdriver?" Neos asked.

"I lost them," the Doctor replied.

"Do those erase people's memories as well?" Neos asked. The Doctor looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"I have lived every day of my life since we met, wracking my brain to try and remember what you made me forget," Neos said, his voice quiet. "I don't know what I lost that day, not a clue."

"It wasn't important," the Doctor said. He returned to the drawing.

"Don't tell me it's not important! You can't prove that," Neos said.

"Trust me, it wasn't important," the Doctor continued.

"Prove it. Tell me what I lost," Neos challenged. "Tell me exactly what you took, then maybe I can go some way to forgiving you."

"Fine."

The Doctor drew himself up to his full height. He looked down at Neos with a pitying face.

"You forgot what you ate for breakfast that morning."

There was a full minute of silence, before Neos through his head back and laughed.

"What's so funny?" The Doctor asked, his face a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

"I forgot what I ate for breakfast! That's brilliant" Neos laughed. There had obviously been a great weight lifted off the man's shoulders. The Doctor looked at him as if he was mad.

"That's enough, shut up. We've got work to do."

* * *

They made their preparations, and left the clock tower just after night had fallen. They decided to split up, with Neos taking a fairly direct route to the governor's house, and the Doctor curving off towards the street where the TARDIS had landed.

Neos had only to wait a few minutes for the Doctor. They approached the house slowly, making sure that they weren't spotted by any of the governor's guards. They came up to the fence through a small group of trees. The Doctor pulled himself onto one of the lower branches and shimmied along until he was as close as possible to the house. He placed the sonic sunglasses on his face and switched them on. Neos watched as one by one each camera shut down, drooping down to point at the ground. The Doctor made his way back out of the tree, and pulled two identical devices out of his coat.

"Put this on," he told Neos. Neos took the wristwatch from the Doctor and slid it onto his arm as the Doctor did the same.

They made their way around the perimeter fence, keeping a safe distance so as not to be spotted by the Ogron sentries. As they came towards the front of the house, the Doctor twisted the dial on his watch, after motioning for Neos to do the same. The two men disappeared from view in an instant and the only thing that could possibly provide any indication that they were ever there was the trail of footprints appearing in the snow.

They came up to the gates, and Neos could see the two Ogrons just through the bars. They were big brutes, their ape-like features set in a hard glare, aimed straight ahead and through the gates. Neos walked straight up to the gates, close enough to smell the breath from one of the Ogron guards, a rancid, rotting stench. The stupid thing was staring straight down the road, and as such missed Neos' and the Doctor's footprints coming up the path from the trees.

There was a faint buzzing as the Doctor switched the sonic sunglasses on again. The hefty lock on the gates exploded, and the Ogrons barked and yelled as the gates were flung open as if by magic. Two trails of footprints raced up the path to the front door of the governor's house. The building was an imposing structure, made of the same grey bricks as the rest of the buildings in Madria. It was three stories, and had a tall vaulted roof. The front door was a heavy slab of wood, with ornate carvings weaving across the surface. The doors rattled as the Doctor grabbed the handles and pulled.

"It's locked," whispered the Doctor, surprisingly close to Neos. The was a low whirring as the Doctor activated the sonic sunglasses again. The noise continued for a few moments before ceasing.

"Deadlock seal," said the Doctor. Neos cursed.

"What do we do now?" Asked Neos.

"Intruder window!"

The two pairs of footsteps came back down the steps and off the path. There was a loud thump as one of the windows opened, and a groan as the Doctor hauled himself across the sill.

* * *

The Doctor turned the dial on his watch, and there was a small click as the invisibility field shut down and he became visible again. He was standing in what seemed to be a lounge, although a fairly unwelcoming one. The fireplace was dirty and cold, and everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. A suit of armour stood against the wall by the fireplace. An enormous painting hung above the fireplace, depicting a rather rotund man with an enormous moustache, dressed in fine, decorous clothing. Obviously this was Governor Hamyl, and the Doctor made a mental note of the man's features.

There was a thud behind the Doctor as Neos landed in the room, becoming visible just a moment later.

"That was good work," said Neos. "But we're not finished yet."

"Where are they keeping the Empress?" Asked the Doctor.

"Top of the house, at the front," Neos pointed up. The Doctor looked to the end of the room, and made his way towards the door. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

An Ogron barged into the room and sent the Doctor reeling backwards.

"Run! Find the Empress!" Neos ordered. The Doctor leapt past the Ogron and out into the corridor. Neos turned, and ran towards the suit of armour. He ducked as a blast of laser fire burned into the wall beside his head. He grabbed the hefty sword from the armour bad levelled it at the Ogron.

"Bring it on big guy," he said, before swinging for the ape-man's neck.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Please leave a review, it helps so much to keep me writing! The character of Neos belongs to my brother.**


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor bounded along the hallway towards the grand staircase, ignoring the shouts of the governor's servants and officials as he leapt up onto the steps. He flew up the stairs, his boots sinking into the slightly sad carpeting.

"Halt intruder!" A woman's voice shouted, and a laser bolt sizzled past the Doctor's ear. The assailant stood at the top of the stairs with a blaster aimed squarely at the Doctor's head. She wore a form-fitting battlesuit, a vibrant orange in colour, and she had a long blade strapped across her back.

"Maximilia Del, I presume," said the Doctor. He shifted his body, surreptitiously shielding his right arm from the assassin's view.

"I am known to you," Maximilia sounded intrigued. She held her high ground, but already seemed relaxed, as if the Doctor presented no sort of threat to her whatsoever.

"Yes. I'm here for the Empress of Cidonia," the Doctor said, slipping his hand into his coat's outside pocket. He felt around inside, his fingers skipping over random odds and ends he had picked up over the years. His hand grabbed around a cylindrical object.

"Really? Idiot. You are unarmed. How could you ever expect to best me without a weapon?" Maximilia asked, seeming a little amused. Her eyes remained cold and detached however.

"I don't intend to best you, why would I want to do that? I'm going to leave that to my friend downstairs," the Doctor said as he whipped his arm out of his pocket. The firecracker flew from his hand with a flick of his wrist, arcing up the steps. The assassin's eyes widened, but she had little time to react before the tiny explosive detonated barely a metre from her face - she just managed to shield her face with her hands before it went off. The Doctor used his opportunity to barge forward, knocking Maximilia to ground. He tore off further into the governor's home, just as Neos started up the stairs, sword still in hand.

"Out of the way!" He shouted when he saw Maximilia coming to her feet. He stopped on the stairs when he saw the woman's face. She saw him at the same time.

"You?" She shouted in anger. Neos raised his sword in a defensive position.

"Get out of my way, Maximilia," he warned, preparing for a fight.

"Oh, I don't think so. I've waited a very long time to see you again," Maximilia drew her sword, a katana made from a shimmering, glowing metal. She adopted a fighting stance, before pouncing at Neos.

"I'm going to end you right here, fiend," she snarled.

"You can try!" Neos grunted, as he blocked her blow.

* * *

The Doctor poked his head around the corner, spotting two Ogrons standing guard over a set of double doors. They were armed with huge laser cannons - any attempt to take them head on would be suicide. He ducked back behind his corner and pulled out the sonic sunglasses.

"Look at me, I'm a target!" The Doctor yelled, leaping out from the corner. The Ogrons snapped into action, readying by their guns and opening fire. The Doctor turned and raced off down the corridor, flailing his arms as he went. The Ogrons gave chase, their thundering footsteps pounding and shaking the floor.

* * *

The Doctor stood out from behind his corner and tapped the sunglasses. There was a confused shout from the Ogrons as the hologram they were chasing disappeared, followed by a crash, no doubt as they gave into frustration and lashed out at whichever expensive object happened to be nearest. The Doctor approached the doors and grabbed the handles and pulled, but to no avail. There was a small panel with a hand-shaped depression and a single light bulb to the side, and the Doctor pressed his hand against it. The light bulb lit up red, and the Doctor stood back, activating the sonic sunglasses as he looked across the doors.

"Hydra Combination," he muttered, before taking the sunglasses off and replacing them in his pocket. "No way through."

He went back to the panel and looked around the edges - there was a small gap between the metal plate and the wall. The Doctor searched through his pockets and came up with an old chisel. He pushed it into the gap and began to pull the front of the panel from the wall. It came away to expose a tangle of wires and microchips.

"This would have been a lot easier with the screwdriver," the Doctor admitted.

* * *

Neos dodged Maximilia's blade as it sliced towards his head. He brought his own sword up and parried the blow, before sweeping for the assassin's midriff.

"You're sluggish," Maximilia spat, aiming a kick at Neos' legs. He jumped back, before thrusting forward. Maximilia spun to the side, then swept her katana up in a long arc.

"You think so? I'm hurt! I've been training just for you!" Neos said, attempting to sidestepping her blow. He was too slow, and Maximilia cut a long gash in his side.

"You're too cocky by half, you always were. And you never minded your surroundings!" She shouted, aiming a roundhouse kick at Neos. He staggered back into a tall pillar, and lost his balance. Maximilia took advantage of her opponent's momentary disorientation and planted a jab across Neos' jaw.

"You were always an inferior," Maximilia taunted. Neos leapt up, spitting a mouthful of blood towards his enemy.

"Who are you calling inferior?" He asked, before launching into violent barrage of stabs and swings. Maximilia was on the back foot now, a defensive stance rather than offensive.

"Maximilia," a voice said, coming from a comms unit attached to her collar.

"What is it, Hamyl?!" shouted Maximilia.

"Someone's trying to get to the Empress, they're at the doors."

"Damn," Maximilia cursed. "I'm on my way."

She kicked at Neos and sent him sprawling. She turned and raced off down the corridor.

* * *

The Doctor looked around as Maximilia stabbed towards him with her katana. He ducked to the side and the sword speared into the wall just beneath the door panel.

"Move away from the door!" Maximilia shouted, pulling out her blaster and switching it on. The Doctor edged away, and Maximilia circled around between him and the door to the Empress.

"I'm not leaving here without the Empress," said the Doctor.

"You're not leaving here at all," Maximilia corrected.

"Really? Why's that?" The Doctor asked.

"Because I'm going to kill you," Maximilia sneered. "And Neos, and the Empress."

"I've heard that more times than I can remember, and d'you know what? I'm still standing. I've seen Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, you name it. And each time, I'm the one who's come out on top. Why? Because no one can resist a good gloat. They always spell it out, their plan for universal dominance, the enslavement of whichever race takes their fancy, or my personal favourite - the quest for unlimited rice pudding," the Doctor had a smile on his face now, cunning and sharp.

"And I think it's great, do you know why? Because if I can keep them talking, they don't pay attention to whatever else is going on around them!"

Maximilia's eyes widened as she realised her mistake. She turned too late to see Neos' kick. Her head hit the wall and slumped down to the ground. She looked up just as Neos' sword was coming for her and fell to the side. The sword went straight through the door control panel, a shower of sparks bursting out. The lock on the door disengaged and the Doctor grabbed Neos, pulling him through.

"Inside!" He shouted, slamming the door shut. He grabbed the sonic sunglasses and switched them on. There was a loud thunk as the lock engaged.

"That won't hold them for long," said the Doctor, a little out of breath.

"Long enough," Neos said, already walking away from the door. The Doctor looked around at the room. It was a far cry from the rest of the governor's house, in that everything had been cleaned recently. The four poster bed seemed well looked after, and there was an armchair in the corner, currently inhabited by a young girl, perhaps of an age around that of twelve years old.

"Empress Marcia?" Neos asked. The girl nodded.

"I'm here to rescue you, you have to come with me now."

"How can I trust you?" The Empress asked. Neos searched through his tunic's pockets, before producing a crumpled piece of parchment. He handed it across to the Empress, who opened it and read the message within.

"You bear the seal of the Cidonian Senate," the Empress noted. She stood up, and nodded at Neos. There was a loud thump at the door, no doubt as Maximilia tried to break through.

"We need to leave now," said the Doctor.

"Only one exit," Neos said. "And that's going to be a little bit scary."

"Don't be a pudding brain, there's always another way out, if you plan ahead," said the Doctor as he reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out a tiny blue box, that sat squarely in the palm of his hand.

"What the hell is that?" Neos asked in confusion.

"Most notable thing about a TARDIS?" The Doctor asked.

"Bigger on the inside?" Neos guessed.

"Exactly! Or inversely, much, much smaller on the outside!" The Doctor grinned.

"No way!" Neos exclaimed. The Doctor nodded and motioned for Neos and the Empress to move out of the centre of the room, before placing the tiny TARDIS on the rug. He snapped his fingers and stepped back as the light atop the TARDIS began to flash, and the box began to grow. It expanded out, first to the Doctor's knees, then to his waist, then his head, then above.

"I haven't used that one in a long time!" The Doctor said, patting the front of the now full size TARDIS affectionately. "Uses up a lot of power, I'll have to take her to refuel."

"Never mind that, can we leave now?" Neos asked. There was a loud bang and the door flexed, no doubt as a few Ogrons joined the assault.

"Probably a good idea," the Doctor admitted. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. Neos ushered the Empress into the box just as the door finally flew open and Maximilia ran in, flanked by two very angry Ogrons.

"Sorry, my dear, but I must be going. It's been jolly exciting to see you again, but with any luck, I won't have the misfortune to cross your path again. I'm not sure my eyes could handle seeing your ugly mug again!" Neos taunted as he slammed the TARDIS door shut.

"Fire!" Maximilia shouted, her face red with anger. The Ogrons started shooting, the first of their blasts zinging off the blue wood of the TARDIS' front doors, before the ship began to dematerialise. The rest of the laser bolts passed straight through, making a mess of the governor's wall.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Please leave a review, it helps so much to keep me writing. The character of Neos is owned by my brother.**


	5. Chapter 5

The TARDIS engines ceased their thrumming as the Doctor pushed a lever on the console.

"Here we are, the Citadel of Cidonia," he said, gesturing to the TARDIS doors. He pushed a switch on the console, and the doors creaked open, flooding the console room with light. The Empress smiled at the Doctor.

"Thank you, Doctor. And you, Excradus," she said. "Both of you will always be welcome within the realms of my empire."

"Your subjects await, your Highness," said Neos. The Empress walked to the doors, and with a final wave, stepped out of the TARDIS. The Doctor pushed the door switch again, and the doors swung shut.

"End of," said the Doctor.

"At long last," said Neos. He sat down in one of the control room's chairs, sighing with relief.

"Where to?" asked the Doctor.

"Not a clue," Neos admitted. "I have no home, not anymore. No job either - there's not much out there in the way of work for a fugitive from the Judoon."

"I might be able to help with that," said the Doctor. "The Shadow Proclamation owes me a favour or three, I'll put in a good word."

"Where's the fun in that?" Neos laughed. "Don't bother, let me have a laugh for a while longer."

"Suit yourself. Hurry up and decide where you're going, I can't have you sitting around the TARDIS all day," the Doctor said.

"Head for Sector Eight, I think some old friends of mine were on their way there," said Neos.

"Sector Eight's a very big place," said the Doctor, putting the coordinates in. "You might not find them."

"I'm sure I will," said Neos. "I have a knack for finding people."

"I know, but we can't have you messaging the TARDIS all the time. Far too human. Wait here, don't touch anything," said the Doctor, pointing an accusing finger at Neos. He walked down the steps to the storage area beneath the console, and threw open one of the compartments.

* * *

Neos looked over as the Doctor returned, a silver rod in his hand. The Doctor tossed it to him, and Neos turned it over in his hands, examining the device.

"That's a temporal flare, coded specifically for the TARDIS. Switch that on, and the TARDIS will come to you," said the Doctor.

"You're trusting me with this?" asked Neos.

"It also allows me to track you, keep tabs, so to speak," said the Doctor.

"Should have known there'd be a catch," Neos grumbled. There was a terrific heaving as the TARDIS finally materialised, and the Doctor pointed at the doors.

"There you are, Sector Eight. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," said the Doctor.

"Thanks, old man," said Neos, pocketing the flare and standing up. He opened the door, and turned around.

"See you around," he called, before stepping out. The TARDIS door swung shut, and silence returned to the control room. At long last.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Please leave a review, it helps so much to keep me writing. The character of Neos is owned by my brother.**

 **Well, that's it for Neos and the Twelfth Doctor for now. The other Doctors... perhaps not. Stay tuned.**

* * *

"Now, where were we?" the Doctor muttered, picking up his guitar. He smiled as a psychic message from the TARDIS entered his head, pullling the guitar strap over his head.

"Language dear," he said, as he started to play.

* * *

 _Fin_


	6. Other Stories

If you liked this story, please check out my others. You can find the links in my profile.

 **Twelfth Doctor Short Stories:**

 **1)** Lost in Time and Space

 **2)** Kill Zone

 **3)** Breakout

 **4)** Through the Night

 **Other stories:**

Ohm's Void - a story featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald.

The Lost Prince - a story featuring the Seventh Doctor, Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester.

The Last Great Time War - an ongoing series covering the Eighth Doctor's involvement in the Time War, and will later switch to the War Doctor.

The Bet & Other Stories - a series of unconnected oneshots.


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